Handle sticking machine



OC- 24, 1961 w. l.. ELLIOTT HANDLE sTIcKING MACHINE Original Filed June 5, 1957 7 Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Fl 2 Wa/fer L. E//f'ol/ BY U/IV 6()l W g H/S ATTORNEYS Oct. 24, 1961 w. l.. ELLIOTT 3,005,248

HANDLE STICKING MACHINE Original Filed June 5, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,I INVENToR. Mm wa//er L. E//fo/f Fig. la/EMM H/S` ATTORNEYS Oct. 24, 1961 w. L. ELLIOTT 3,005,248

HANDLE STICKING MACHINE Original Filed June 5, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENT'cm Wa/fer L. Ell/0H M 71 1&7/ H/S ATTORNEYS Oct. 24, 1961 w. l.. ELLIOTT 3,005,248

HANDLE STICKING MACHINE Original Filed June 5, 1957 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Waller L. Ell/'0H Wg] MMTORNEYS Oct. 24, 1961 Original Filed June 5, 1957 w. L. ELLIOTT 3,005,248

HANDLE STICKING MACHINE '7 Sheets- Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Walter L. Ell/'off llO Fig. l/

Oct. 24, 1961 w. L.. ELLIOTT 3,005,248

HANDLE sTIcxING MACHINE:

Original Filed June 5, 1957 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 IIIIIIL 55S INVENTOR. Waller L. Ell/'0H BY W M5 TTOHWEYS Oct. 24, 1961 w. L. ELLIOTT 3,005,248

HANDLE: STICKING MACHINE original Filed June 5, 1957 7 sheets-sheet '7 INVENTOIL Waller L. E//iof M Wynia/1M United States if.;

9 ciaims. (ci. 25-2a) This invention relates to a machine for sticking handles to hollow earthenware and china articles, particularly cups. Handling, as it is termed, is usually the final operation done with the smooth shaped cup material still semi-plastic or green and the union of the handle with the green cup body makes it ready for drying and firing. The present application is a division of my copending case, parent application Serial No. 663,626, tiling date June 5, 1957, which additionally to the disclosure of the handling operation of the machine hereof, more fully discloses and specifically claims a preliminary cup turning feature of that machine to advance the cup shaping oomplete ready for handling.

Hand work persists in a large number of operations in the manufacture of cups as it is presently practiced, largely because of the difficulty of developing a machine to automatically perform the many different tool manipulotions required in operating upon the soft green clay material and because of the failure of machines generally to be able to mechanically duplicate the constructive skill in manipulating the cup cutting tools `and supporting the trimmed portions of the cup as done by manual operations.

The soft clay of the cup body presents a like problem at the stage of afiixing the preformed green handles, which are dipped, usually by hand anyway, along one edge with an adhesive slip of liquid clay and, therefore, it is the practice to go ahead by hand at that stage and stick the handle. Naturally, when being hand-stuck along the wetted edge, the handle is located in proper position on the cup body simply by eye. At best that position is only approximate and results in a number of the handles being decidedly nonuniform as to location vand sometimes so crookedly placed as to require discards.

This invention remedies the above diiiiculties of operation in several ways. First, it provides van effective cup supporting fixture comprising an accurate cup locator and a cup hold-down for' securing the cup squarely and firmly to a coaxially rotatable support without defacing the soft material nor permitting slippage or tearing or spoilage of the surface. This invention also provides a very effective slidable holder `for sticking the green handles, the holder having relatively rotatable die chuck jaws which open to a convenient horizontal loading position and which, after closing and sliding to an operating position Where they solidly afiix the handles in place, automatically reset themselves and retract for reloading.

The novel structure provided according to the preceding paragraph has the desirable operating feature that the turntable structure is in continuous motion, turning fairly rapidly and the cups being produced under a sustained rate maintainable approximately at llO dozen cups per hour. That rate is readily apparent as an increase severalfold over the production rates commonly yielded in production lines.

Consistent with the feature `of maintaining uninterrupted table motion and a continuous flow of cups, I provide drive belting and a bumper having fixed positions in a novel arrangement about the turntable of my machine so as to be engaged at proper times while the table is continuously revolving, thereby setting the rotatable cup support in motion to turn the cup for one period of nt C M' 3,905,248 Patented Oct. 24, 1961 ICC rotation and later for a fractional part of a turn in trimming and then rotating it out of the handle holder dies respectively.

This invention is primarily adapted for cup manufacturing but it will be understood that the operating principles apply with equal advantage to the making of various chinaware and earthenware articles of a hollow construction requiring the attachment of appendages such as handles, spouts, or other projections in their manufacture.

Further features, objects, and advantages will either be specically pointed ou-t or become apparent when for `a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 and 2 are top plan and .front elevational views of my handle sticking machine;

FIGURES 3 and 4 `are similar to FIGURES 1 and 2 respectively 4with certain parts removed or shown in section for clarity;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are plan and elevational views of the sponge belting drive of FIGURE 1;;

FIGURE 7 is a plan View of one of the sets of fixtures on the table in FIGURE l;

FIGURES 8, 9, 10 and l1 are views of the handle holder fixture which they respectively show in top plan, side elevation, and front elevation with the dies closed and also in front elevation with the dies open;

FIGURE 12 is a face View of an open die of FIGURE l1;

FIGURES 13 and 14 are sections taken along the section lines XIII-XIIL XIV-XIV of FIGURE 8;

FIGURES l5 and 16 are top plan and longitudinal sectional elevational views of the cup supporting fixture;

FIGURE 17 corresponds to FIGURE 16 but shows ya cup clamped in place on the fixture;

FIGURES 18 and 19 are transverse sectional views taken along the lines XVIII-XVIII, XIX- XIX of FIG- URE 16;

FIGURES 20 and 2l show the cutter fixture respectively in top plan and longitudinal sectional elevation views; and,

FIGURE 22 corresponds to FIGURE 2() but shows the cutter in the cutting position.

In 4FIGURES 1-4, I show a preferred embodiment of my machine adapted .to carry a relatively rotatable turntable 10 and a fixed platform 12 'which are of circular shape and which are mounted thereon vertically spaced relationship to one another. A generally upright frame 11i directly supports the platform I2 and has a series of side braces 16 which run diagonally between the base of the frame and the rim of the fixed platform 12. The turntable l0 foims a traveling carrier for ten spaced sets S of fixtures which are mounted to revolve therewith at the periphery and which in brief transfer ware W consisting of green cup bodies from a loading station A through a clamping station B to a cutting station C `for trimming the lip of the cup, the table rotation being counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow 18. Astation D Sponges the passing cups and at E the preformed green handles P are loaded into the fixtures S. The preformed handles P are affixed to the cup bodies at station F and the completed cup still in the semi-plastic or green state is unclamped at G for unloading at the station H. At this station the finished ware W with 'the handles affixed thereto is ready for drying and firing.

The rim of the turntable 10 runs on a Set of four rollers 20 which have fixed axles and which are supported on the platform l2 by means of adjustable supports 22 of the slide rod and Set screw type. A vertical drive shaft 24 forms a supporting spindle for the table 10 which is keyed to the latter at 26 and which has its midportion and base mounted to turn respectively in a pilot bearing 23 and in a thrust bearing 30 which yare secure in the frame 14. An electric drive motor 32 is connected through a gear speed reducer 34 and a pair of meshing bevel gears 36 to drive the vertical shaft 24. A hubshaped valve manifold 38 at the center of the turntable 10 forms a sealed rotary joint with a center-fed fitting 40 which is stationarily ycarried by an air supply pipe 42 afiixed :at its upper end (not shown) to an overhead support. The fitting 40 has one radially extending port which in succession registers with ten valve ports 44 in the manifold 38, each supplying a radially extending air pipe 46 to blow scavenging air in the direction of the rim of the table to dispose of clay chips.

The fixed platform 12 carries a set of five arcuate cam rails 50, 51, 52, S3, and 54 mounted to its upper surface at different radial distances from the drive shaft 24 (FIG- URE 4). The cam rails 50, 51, and 53 respectively, engage three vertically displaceable lift members which operate various ones of the sets S of fixtures in a manner more fullyl described hereinafter. The cam rails 52. and 54 operate two laterally displaceable operating members in the sets S.

A ydrive belt 57 disposed adjacent the turning and sponging stations C and D (FIGURE 3) is trained on fixed axis sheaves S such that the inner flight thereof runs as an encroaching chord on the arc of revolution of the ta'ble 1f) and assists in the turning and sponging operations hereinafter described. A bumper wheel 60 with its axle fixed to the platform 12is disposed adjacent the unclamping station G (FIGURE 3) to rotate the cup through a fractional part of a revolution generally after the manner of the drive belt 57 which serves to rotate the cup through multiple revolutions.

In FIGURE 7, I show one complete set S of the ten fixture assemblies on the table 10. A handle holder fixture indicated at 90 is operated automatically -by means of the two'lift cam rails 50 `and 51 mounted to the fixed platform 12. A cup supporting fixture is generally indicated at 92 and is automatically operated by means of the lift cam rail 53, and by means of the companion cam 52 which laterally displaces one of the operating members for the cup supporting fixture 92. A cutter xture 94 operated by the cam rail S4 is used for the turning operation on the cup ware to trim the lip thereof.

More specifically, the handle holder fixture 90 on `the table is shown in detail in FIGURES 8-l4 and consists of a radially disposed supporting frame 96 having inner and outer supporting plates 9S and 100 which carry a pair of longitudinally extending parallel guide rods 102 andV 104. The outer ends of the guide rods carry a handle holder slide 106 having a bearing opening at one side that rides directly on the rod 104 and carrying a separate sleeve 108 at the opposite side which turns within the slide but slides therewith on the 'rod 102 passing through the sleeve 108. A key and keyway connection 11u between the rod 102 and the sleeve 103 causes the sleeve to take the angular attitude set by the rod in all positions of the sleeve therealong.

p A pair of fixed and movable die chuck jaws 112 and 114 is arranged on the slide 106 with the jaw 112 in a permanently vertical position and with the die chuck jaw 4114 fast to the sleeve 108 that turns with the rod 102. Each chuck jaw 112, 114, carries one of a pair of dies 116 which when moved together form a handle chuck to receive the preformed handles P. Each die 116 is `carried in a trunnion mounting 118 in the adjacent die chuck jaw. Dowels and complementary dowel openings in the faces of the dies 116 hold them in alignment for joint pivotal movement on the trunnion mountings 118 after the rotatable chuck jaw 114 is ybrought into` clamped position with the fixed jaw 112. FIGURE 12 shows a face View of one of the dies 116 to illustrate the complementary mating recesses provided therein.

The lift cam rail 50 (FIGURE 9) rotates the jaw 114 between its horizontal loading position of FIGURE 11 and its closed position shown in `FIGURE l0. For this purpose a cam follower 120 carries a roller at the lower end that rides on the earn rail 50, being biased thereagainst by means of a hold-down spring 122. The cam lfollower 120 is vertically slidable in the support plate 96 and carries a vertically moving rack 124 at the head thereof which through a pair of pinions 126 and 128, rocks the guide rod 102 which is fast to the pinion 128 and is journaled for rotation in the spaced plates 98 and 100. The guide rod 104 is fixed in these plates, `forming Ia fixed axle for the motion reversing idler pinion 126 which turns thereon and meshes at one side with the rack 124 and at the opposite side with the pinion 128. 'Ihe spring 1122 normally biases the chuck jaw 114 to the horizontal loading posi-tion of FIGURE ll.

A third rod 130 which is parallel to the two guide rods 102, 104 has a slide joint connection (FIGURE 14) with the midportion of the slide 106 being operative 'to retract it to its reset position by means of a nut 132 and having a lost motion spring 134 carried thereby in a manner to bias the slide 106 forwardly when the third rod 130 is advanced. A cam follower 136 rides on the cam rail 51 (not shown) and is connected by means of a vertically acting rack 138 and a horizontally acting rack 140 integral with the rod 130 to advance that rod and to retract it at the proper time so as to reset the slide 106. A rack pinion 142 (FIGURES 8, 13 and 14) having a fixed axle and `double width teeth continually meshes with the two racks 138 and 140 so as to translate the vertical motion of the follower 136 into horizontal motion controlling the slide 106. A follower return spring 144 biases the slide into its reset position and thus forces the cam follower 136 to firmly ride on the lift cam rail 51 (not shown).

The handle holder is operated from an initial loading position indicated by FIGURE ll wherein the jaw 114 first receives a handle P while it rests against an adjusting stop 146 and while the slide is fully retracted. The lift cam 50 first acts through its rack and pinion connection to rotate the rotatable jaw 114 to the position of FIG- URES 9 and l0 and thereupon the lift cam 51 (not shown) operates through the rack and pinion connection of FIGURE 13 to advance the handle holder forwardly into the dotted line position shown by the dotted lines 116a in FIGURE 9. It is noted that the slide 106 is brought in at an oblique angle to the surface of the cup ware body W and as viewed in FIGURE 9, the upper edge of the preformed handle P is the leading edge to engage the cup ware body W as the spring 134 thereafter starts to yield. Continued advance ofthe slide 106 at a slower rate causes the dies 116 to pivot conjointly on their trunnion mountings 118 to undergo a slight transverse motion such that the preformed handle P rubs as it wipes and seats into place against the ware W. A pair of return springs one of which is indicated at 148 and each of which is connected to a different die trunnion 118, elastically yields in tension to enable the dies to pivot properly and thereafter exerts a continuous bias to move them to their unpivoted positions. The rotatable jaw 114 is then released due to the action of the cam 50 (not shown) and the two dies 116 unclamp the handle which stays firmly adhered to the body of the cup Ware W. Subsequently, the lift cam rail 51 (not shown) resets the slide 106 to its retracted position shown in solid lines in FIGURE 9 so as to prepare the dies for reloading with another preformed handle P.

The present handle holder fixture 90 provides extreme accuracy and firmness in sticking the handles. The fixed axes of the guide rods 102, 104 and the trunnion mountings 11S insure that the handle is at all times in the longitudinal plane of the ware W. The springs 148 insure that one edge of the handle constitutes a leading edge so that the handle will cam itself and then slide against the cup surface to even out and make uniform the line of contact therewith. The spring 134in'sures that the contact is solid and made under theA proper pressure which it uniformly produces as the third slide rod 130 overtravels and collapses that spring by the necessary amount.

The cup supporting structure 92 is more completely shown in FIGURES 15-19 and includes a support chalk 150 consisting simply of a turned chalk block having the desired inside contour of the finished ware W which is eventually to be produced. A cover plate 152 mounted in an opening in the turntable carries a spindle 154 which is journaled for turning and sliding movement therein on a vertical axis and which is fast at its upper end to a supporting hub 156 on the support chalk 150. The hub 156 has a floating mounting consisting of a thrust bearing 158 and acoaxial coil spring 160 that acts in compression to yieldably support the chalk support 150. A drive pulley 162 fast to the lower end of the drive spindle 154 has a groove in which the drive belt 57 rides. The flight of the drive belt 57 that fits in the groove engages the opposed sides thereof so as to be deected therewith in a vertical plane as the spindle moves up and down on its floating mounting. During this engagement the belt 57 is also deflected laterally by the pulley 162 so as to wrap itself arcuately for a few degrees along this pulley.

In its uppermost position as shown in FIGURE 16, the spindle 154 carries the support chalk 150 at a point at which the lip of the cup ware W will engage an arcuate shaped locator plate 163 (FIGURES 7 and 16) so as to locate the ware square to the support chalk 150. At a confronting location immediately above the bottom of the inverted ware W, a circular hold-down plate 164 is provided and the two plates 163 and 164 have a common carrier post 166 so as to move them vertically in unison. The carrier post 166 has an inner rod section 168 which is mounted to slide with the post but turns relative thereto on a vertical axis and which carries a pair of laterally protruding, apertured plates 170 in which a spindle 172 with adjustable stops thereon is mounted so as to rotate and to carry therewith the hold-down plate 164. The weight of the post 166 is augmented a predetermined amount by means of a gravity weight 173 between the plates 170 so as to press the hold-down plate 164 under load to a point of predetermined level at which it always seeks a balanced position with the spring 160. This level is adjusted by selection of weight 173 and thereafter stays the same regardless of the accuracy of fit between the support chalk 150 and the inner surface of the cup ware W, depending solely on the adjusted load of the post compared to the strength of the spring 160.

The inner section 168 of the carrier post 166 is biased by means of a spring (not shown) so as to rotate the two plates 170 and the hold-down plate 164 into the solid line position of FIGURE l5. The hold-down plate 164 is capable of pivoting into this position due to the turning of the inner section 168 of the post within an outer sleeve section 174 thereof which is fast to the locator plate 163 and is keyed at 176 to the plate 152 to prevent turning. A circumferentially extending slot 177 in the sleeve section 174 (FIGURE 19) enables the inner section 168 to turn carrying with it a cam follower 178 having a roller that runs on the cam rail 52 (FIGURE 15). While engaged therewith, the cam rail 52 holds the cam follower 178 at one end of the slot 177 in the position according to the solid lines in FIGURE 19, but toward one end thereof the cam rail 52 has an inwardly extending exit flank 52 which the cam follower 178 follows inwardly under the bias of a spring (not shown) acting on the post section 168. In this fashion the hold-down plate 164 is pivoted into the solid line position of FIGURE where it is limited in its rotation by means of `a pin 180 which rotates with a collar 1-82 fast to the inner section 168 to a point at which it engages a fixed stop 184 (FIGURE 18). Conversely, the hold-down plate 164 is pivoted into the dotted line loading position `shown by the dotted lines 164:1 in FIGURE 15 due to an entrance ramp 52 (FIGURE 3) on the cam rail 52 which defiects the cam follower 178 upon initial engagement to bring it into the dotted line position 178a of FIGURE l5.

This latter action which resets the hold-down plate occurs with but slightly after the cam rail 53 (FIGURES 3 and 16) initially lifts the hold-down plate 164 and then the table rotates approximately two-thirds of a revolution with the hold-down plate 164 in this reset position. The hold-down plate 164 is automatically lowered by the lift cam rail 53 at a time slightly past the point at which the follower 17 8 has run off of the cam flank 52 (FIGURES 3 and 16) enabling the plate to pivot into its position in which the spindles 154 and 172 (FIGURE 16) are exactly vertically aligned.

The cutter xture 94 for turning the lip of the ware W is more particularly shown in FIGURES 2() through 22. A cover plate 186 mounted across an opening in the table 10 carries a pair of closely spaced vertical rods having a common spacer plate 187 at their upper end and one of which, indicated at 188, is rotatable whereas lthe other forms la fixed post 190. A swinging cutter arm 192 has a fixed end which encircles the rod 19t) and the arm 192 carries a cutter holder 194 at the swinging end thereof. The cutter holder 194 carries a gauge wheel 196 which is mounted on a fixed vertical axle thereon and which runs on the outer periphery of the ware W being turned in a plane slightly above the lip of the ware. A cutter knife 198 disposed below the gauge wheel 196 is pivotally mounted at 280 to swing relative to the holder 194 and a spring 282 biases the cutter knife 198 in the direction of the ware W. The holder carries a fixed guard 204 at the outer end thereof.

A shallow waste collecting tray 206 is mounted to the cover plate 186 at a pointbelow the cutter knife 19S and has a wide inner end across which the end length of one 0f the scavenging air pipes 46 (FIGURES 4 and 20) is disposed. `Each pipe 46 is plugged at the end and perforated along one side with a series of equidistantly spaced holes (FIGURE 2l) to blow over the entire area of the tray. The walls of that tray 2416 converge in a radially outwardly direction so as to define a narrow throated chute 208 which at one point in the rotation of the turntable will register with a waste collecting chute shown at 218 in FIGURE 3.

The swinging arm 192 is pivoted into the operating position for cutting by means of a tension spring 212 of which one end is anchored to a fixed anchor 214 and the opposite end pulls on a finger 216 which is rigidly'secured to the hub of the arm 192. In that cutting position as shown in FIGURE 22 the spring 212 holds the gauge Wheel 196 solidly against the Ware W and the spring 202 lightly biases the cutting knife 198 against the lip of the ware W to trim sharp edges from it. A cutter retracting cam 218 has a nose portion thereon engaging a cam follower finger 220 axed to the hub of the arm 192.

A tension spring 222 acts on a finger 224 fixed to the rotatable rod 188 to bias the cutter retracting cam 218 into the operative position with its nose engaging the cam follower 220 on the arm 192. However, another cam follower 226 makes it possible for the nose of the cam 218 to be automatically rotated to an inoperative position no longer blocking the cam follower 220, the first mentioned cam follower 226 being fast to the lower end of the rod 188 and carrying a roller that runs on the short cam rail 54 on the platform 12. 20 when the ramp of the cam 54 engages the roller on the follower 226 it moves the retracting cam to inoperative position whereupon the cutting knife 198 assumes the solid line position of FIGURE 22 and the cut-ter blade does not retract until the follower 226 runs olf the cam 54 at the flank on its lopposite end.

In the operation of my handle sticking machine of the preceding FIGURES 1-22, au opera-tor at the loading sta- Thus in FIGUREv tion A of FIGURE 1 transfers cup ware by hand from a conveyor belt and places the Ware W in an inverted position on the support chalks 150 of FIGURES 16 and 17. The Hank S2 of the cam 52 of FIGURE l5 then automatically pivots the hold-down plate 164 to its coaxial position with the drive spindle for the cup support 150 and thereafter the carrier post 166 lowers the hold-down plate so as to clamp the ware W and simultaneously lowers the locator plate 163 out of the way. This occurrence is at station B of FIGURE 3 and at station C on that gure, the belt 57 engages and the turning operation starts. Shortly thereafter at station D the sponging o-peration occurs and then both belts disengage whereupon friction substantially simultaneously stops the support chalk spindle 154 from turning. At the handle loading station E the handle holder of FIGURES 8-14 is loaded by hand, the operator first dipping one edge of the preformed handles P in an adhesive slip of liquid clay and depositing the same in the horizontal one of the dies H6 (FIGURES 11 and 12).

In the vicinity of station F the dies 116 close, slide forward with the slide 6, pivot the handle so as to rub it into position against the non-rotating Ware body W according to FIGURE 9, and thereafter they `automatically reopen leaving the preformed handle P still occupying the mating recess of the vertically disposed die H6 of FIGURE 1l.

At station G in a rapid succession of steps, the cup hold-down plate 164 is lifted by the cam rail 53 and then pivoted to its reset or loading position. The pulley 162 drags against the bumper 60 (FIGURES 3 and 16) fixed in its path 'to turn the cup ware W through a fractional part of a revolution so as to rotate its attached handle P forwardly from the vertical die 116 of FIGURE 1l to give it proper clearance therefrom. In closely following order the cam follower i256 of FIGURE 9 rides down the iiank of the lift cam 51 so as to reset the slide liti with the dies 115 clear of the cup handle and ready for reloading with a fresh preformed handle. With the hold-down lplate 164 reset and with the dies 116 reset and the cutter knife 198 in the inoperative position of FIGURE 20, the fixtures C revolve idly -with the turntable 10 through approximately one-half of a table revolution enabling the unloading operator at station H to simply grip the top of the handled ware W in her fingertips and remove and relocate it on other support chalks on `an. adjacent conveyor for further processing. Between unloading and the start of more handling, ample time is provided for a loading operator at station A to load the passing support chalks G insuring that each one is provided with a body of green cup ware W to be turned, sponged and handled.

It is noted that the drive belt 57 of FIGURE l and the endless belt thereabove having the sponge facing 64 are power driven by power means (not shown) so as to run continuously and it is further noted that the cams Si), 51, 52, 53 and 54 provide for automatic operation of the turntable 210 as itis continuously rotated by the drive shaft 24 of FIGURE 4. The effective rate of output of this automatic machine therefore depends solely on a convenient running rate for the two loading operators at the stations A and E of FIGURE l and the unloading operator at station H. 'With this machine a very satisfactory rate has been established with an output of approximately 110 dozen cups per hour, but this particular output is given purely by way of example and it can be varied faster or slower depending on the experience and effectiveness of the operators themselves.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my inves tion but is to be understood that it may be otherwise embodied Within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a handle sticking machine for earthenware, the combination of a pair of guide rods fixed in parallel relationship, a slide thereon having a set of openable md closable die chuck jaws for moving a handle therewith into a handle sticking position, one of the parallel guide rods of said p-air being mounted to turn on its axis, a third parallel rod for imparting motion to said slide and mounted for axial travel therewith, and means forming a yielding drive connection from the third rod to move said slide enabling the third rod to over-travel axially and thus cause the handle to reach and be set in its ultimate sticking position uniformly under a positive bias to insure against stopping short of a solidly stuck position.

2. In a machine of the character described having pluralities of ware Vsupports and relatively movable holders for green handles cooperable with one another to grip a green ware body in closely confronting position to the individual ones of the handle holders, said holders each comprising a forwardly moving slide and a pair of openable and closable handle clamping dies thereon, one of said dies being fixed and the other movable from a horizontal loading position, the combination with the plurality of ware supports and the plurality of handle holders, of a platform and a relatively rotatable turntable having a common supporting frame mounting the same in vertically spaced apart relationship, drive means connected for continuously revolving said turntable, each holder with one support being mounted operatively together as a pair to revolve with the turntable and with the elements of each pair mounted side by side on the turntable enabling the holder to move forwardly to confront the support, an actuator individual to each of said movable dies and engageable with means on said platform rendering the actuators responsive to relative movement between said turntable and platform for automatically moving the respective movable dies from their horizontal loading position for closing said dies in succession to firmly clamp handles loaded in the holders for sticking, and a similarly responsive actuator connected to each slide for automatically sliding said clamped dies Kforwardly to thereupon bring the handle and the ware together.

3. In a handle sticking machine for earthenware the combination of guide rods fixed in parallel relationship, a slide thereon having openable and closable die chuck jaws mounted to grip and move a handle therein into a handle sticking position, one of said guide rods being mounted to turn on its axis, and keyway means connecting one of said die chuck jaws to rotate conjointly as said rod turns to initially clamp the dies on a handle and to open the dies subsequent to the'slide moving the handle to its ultimate stuck position, at least one of said die chuck jaws having a horizontal loading position to accessibly receive and independently retain therein handles prior to clamping of the dies as aforesaid.

4. For use in a handle sticking machine for earthenware of the class described, the combination of a slide having a set of openable and closable guide chuck jaws mounted thereon to grip and move a handle therein linto a handle sticking position, one of said jaws being -iixed relative to said slide and the other movable and having a horizontal loading position, means connected to said movable jaw which for handle sticking purposes moves same when loaded, from its horizontal loading position to close said jaws and which for reloading purposes resets the movable jaws into 4its horizontal loadingy position when opening said jaws, said die chuck jaws comprising jaw structures each of which being connected to said slide, and dies which engage one another when the jaw structures are in mutually confronting relation and which are pivoted to the respective jaw structures so as to define a common trunnion axis to one another in such relation.

5. A handle sticking machine for cups comprising in combination, fixed and rotatable die connected jaws having mating recesses carried at the end which close to hold a handle therebetween, said `rotatable jaw being rotatable to a horizontal loading position in which the dies are open for receiving the next handle in the corresponding die, a relatively movable cup support cooperable with the handle holder jaws to grip 1a green cup body in a closely confronting relationship thereto, a turntable common to the ware support and to the handle holder jaws, said turntable provided with individual mounting means shiftably mounting the support and the holder thereupon, actuator means traveling with the turntable to operate the shiftable mounting means for relatively moving the holder jaws and the support together and for rotating said rotatable jaw to horizontal loading positions to as to open the dies after a handle held thereby becomes aiiixed to the cup body, said mounting means on said turntable adapting said cup support for rotation to perform a turning operation on the cup and being engageable with stationary means producing sucient rotation to turn the cup for rotating its `affixed handle a limited clearance distance out of the open side of the dies.

6. In a handle sticking machine for earthenware the combination of guide rods fixed in parallel relationship, a slide thereon having a set of openable and closable die chuck jaws mounted to grip and move a handle therein into a handle sticking position, said jaws carrying individual dies connected thereto which close with the die chuck jaws to establish said gripping contact with each handle, the connection between each jaw and the corresponding individual die comprising a trunnion which together with the trunnion between the other jaw and other die establishes a coaxial relationship, one of said guide rods being mounted to turn on its axis, and means connecting one of said die chuck jaws to rotate conjointly as said rod turns to initially clamp the dies on a handle and to open the dies subsequent to the slide moving the handle to its ultimate stuck position, said dies disposed whereby the slide movement is in the mutual plane established by the dies when they are closed, said trunnion connections providing for limited independent movement of the dies in their mutual plane with respect to said jaws so as to pivot said handles in precisely accommodating to their ultimate stuck position.

7. In a handle sticking machine for earthenware, mechanism comprising the combination of a pair of guide rods xed in parallel relationship, a slide thereon having a set of openable and closable die chuck jaws mounted to move a handle therewith into a handle sticking position, one of the guide rods of said pair being mounted to turn on its axis, a third parallel rod for imparting motion to said slide and mounted for axial travel, means connecting one of said die chuck jaws to rotate conjointly as said one rod of the pair turns to initially clamp the die on a handle and to open the die subsequent to moving the handle to its ultimate stuck position, a turntable supporting said mechanism and mounted on a support for continual turning movement, actuators carried by the turntable and capable of limited shifting movement with respect thereto and engageable with means on said support so as to be shifted at different times, means forming a yielding drive connection from the third rod to move said slide, and separate rack and pinion drives operable by said actuators and connected for automatically turning said one rod of the pair on its axis and for moving the third rod axially at diierent times in response to said continual turning movement of said turntable.

8. In a handle sticking machine for earthcnware, the combination of holder dies for green handles and comprising closable dies having mating recesses therein which grip the handles, a relatively movable ware support for gripping a green ware body in a closely confronting position relative to the handle holder dies, carrier structure comprising a xed platform and a continuously rotatable turntable thereon common to the ware support and to the handle holder dies, said turntable provided with first and second supporting means shiftably supporting the respective ware support and holder dies thereupon, said second supporting means for said holder dies comprising a slide on said turntable having a horizontal path of reciprocation, which path of reciprocation being related to the ware support so as to be oblique with respect to the immediately confronting portion of a ware body gripped by said ware support, automatic means for advancingly and retractingly reciprocating said slide and said holder dies in said oblique path with respect to said ware support for contacting the ware body with a handle, trunnion means on said slide mounting said holder dies for pivoting about a trunnion axis transverse to said oblique path whereby upon initially establishing said Contact the handle has limited transverse pivotal movement to a pivoted position enabling the handle and the ware to rub into contact together, and spring means connected to said trunnion means and exerting a continuous bias to pivot said holder dies about their trunnion axis to an unpivoted position.

9. In a handle sticking machine for earthenware, the combination of a holder for green handles and formed of closable dies having mating recesses therein which grip the handles, a relatively movable ware support cooperable with the handle holder to grip a green ware body in a closely confronting position relative to the handle holder, a turntable common to the ware support and to the handle holder, there being individual support means on said turntable shiftably supporting each of said support and said holder thereon, means to operate the shiftable support means for closing the holding dies on a handle, said support means for said holder comprising a slide on said turntable having a horizontal path of reciprocation, which path of reciprocation being related to the ware support so as to be oblique with respect to the immediately confronting portion of a green Ware body gripped by said ware support, means for advancingly and retractingly reciprocating said slide and said holder in said path with respect to said ware support for contacting the green ware body with a handle, trunnion means on said slide mounting said holder dies for pivoting about a trunnion axis transverse to said horizontal path whereby upon initially establishing said contact the handle undergoes limited transverse pivotal movement from its unpivoted position, enabling the handle and the ware to rub into contact together, and spring means connected to the trunnion mounting means and continuously biasing said holder dies and the handle to the unpivoted position so as to insure that rubbing will occur incident to said contact.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,374,555 Miller Apr. 24, 1945 2,537,922 Strasser Ian. 9, 1951 2,560,007 Steele July 10, 1951 2,619,701 Jordan Dec. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 581,042 Great Britain Sept. 30, 1946 634,425 Great Britain Mar. 22, 1947 728,072 Great Britain Apr. 13, 1955 698,694 Great Britain Oct. 21, 1953 UNITED STATESv PATENTOFFICE I b CERTIFICATE 0E CORRECTION Patent Nm k3,1005Y24t8 v October 24VY 1961 Walter L Elliott It is hereby certified that error appears in the above nwnbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below Column 2'Iine Ie, for "FIGURE" read FIGURES M columfali q line 429 for "C read S -5 line 70V after "but" Insert it column L7 line q for "jaws" read m Jaw ma Signed and sealed this 3rd day of April 1962.l

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

